


Good For The Soul

by Victorious56



Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Awkwardness, Fair Game Weekend (RWBY), Fair Game Weekend 2020, M/M, Pre-Relationship, weiss would work in human resources, yet again harriet does pretty much nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26750290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: After arriving in Atlas, Weiss initiates a plan to help the new hunters and the Ace Ops get to know each other better. The outcome, in one way at least, is more successful than even she expected.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947922
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	Good For The Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Fair Game Weekend 2020: Day 1: Confession

"Right then, everyone." Clover rapped his knuckles on the table. The hubbub in the briefing room did not dissipate as he had hoped. He tried again.

A slow smirk crossed Qrow's face as he watched the performance from the back of the room. _Good luck with the supply teacher effort. It'll take more than that to settle this lot down._

Clover caught his eye, and raised a hopeful eyebrow. Qrow grinned, pushing back his chair as he got to his feet.

"Kids! Can it!" His gruff voice cut through the clamour, and he sat back down, sending Clover a look which said _That's how you do it._

Several glances went Qrow's way, and the room quietened quickly. Clover mouthed _Thank you_ , and cleared his throat.

"Now then, first of all, thank you for coming in a little earlier today."

"You owe us, Mr Ace Ops." Nora's disgruntled voice carried easily in the quiet room. Clover looked at her enquiringly.

"I had hardly any time for breakfast this morning. I may pass out from hunger later." She glared at Clover, daring him to say something.

"Well, Miss Valkyrie, I must apologise. I'm sure, with the support of your teammates, you'll still be able to function satisfactorily on a less than full stomach."

"Hmph." Nora wasn't impressed, but she had no answer for once.

"The reason for the early start," continued Clover, raising his voice once more, "is so we will have time at the end to listen to Miss Schnee's proposal."

All eyes turned towards Weiss, who coloured faintly at the attention.

"But first of all, the missions."

There were no unusual requirements for that day, so the teams were assigned promptly. Once that was done, Clover said, "Now, please pay attention to Miss Schnee and listen carefully to what she has to say." He took a seat to one side, and Weiss made her way to the front of the room. She turned to face her colleagues, and linked her hands in front of her.

"Most of you here will know that Specialist Winter Schnee is my sister. She has asked for my advice with a personnel improvement exercise. Self-help and personal motivation are two things I have always held as important, along with team-building. Now we are in Atlas and working with the Ace Ops, these factors have assumed greater importance."

Teams RWBY and JNOR were accustomed by now to Weiss' pet theories about self improvement and motivation. The Ace Ops were all staring at her, expressions ranging from confusion to horror written across their faces.

Weiss pressed on. "There is a small project we can all participate in. You may have heard of it; it's called _Confess, and Worry Less_." She paused.

The silence in the room was absolute.

"It's actually quite good fun." Weiss was nothing if not determined. "This is how it works."

  


As Weiss finally fell silent, there was a lull, before several voices spoke out at the same time.

"You mean, we have to own up to private stuff?"

"What if someone guesses who wrote it?"

"How do we know it's secure?"

"Are we allowed to make things up?"

"Is Uncle Qrow going to do it?"

"What about you, boss, are you okay with this nonsense?"

Weiss coughed loudly. "It is secure, the system merely records your message. It does not know where it originates from. There is nothing to stop others trying to guess the writer's identity. The confessions should be genuine. And yes, all of us here will participate."

Clover got to his feet. "Thank you, Weiss, that was most illuminating. We will begin tomorrow, and the confessions will appear on the screen in the shared common room. Remember, this is meant to be a bit of fun, whilst at the same time, giving each of us an insight into the lives and thoughts of others, without it becoming personal. And now, on with the day's work."

There was a clatter of chair legs scraping on the floor as the hunters stood to file from the room, noisily discussing the Confessions board.

Qrow hauled himself out of his chair and made his way slowly to the front of the room. "You sure this is a good idea?"

Clover looked defensive. "Winter seemed to think—"

"Pfft. The Ice Queen can think what she likes; she doesn't know the mayhem these kids can create."

They left the room and headed along the corridor.

"It's just a bit of fun, Qrow. And if it helps us get to know each other better, as a group, where's the harm in it?" Clover smiled at Qrow, the fleeting suggestion of a wink causing the older man to blush faintly.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

❖

Two busy days of Grimm missions, supply runs, and Mantle wall patrols later, Elm and Vine stopped by the common room to get a drink.

"D'you want your usual, Vine?" asked Elm over her shoulder.

"Of course, when have I ever—" Vine broke off as he almost bumped into Elm. She had stopped just inside the doorway, and was staring at the screen.

"Someone's done one, look."

Vine edged into the room, and they looked at the message.

  


**_I once took food from the kitchen without asking_ **

  


"Who did this, then?"

"I have no idea, Vine. It wasn't you, was it? You playing your usual bluffing game here?"

"Certainly not." Vine's lips were pressed in a thin line. "This is not very informative."

"No, it could be anyone, really. Oh well, now someone's got the ball rolling, we'd better add our contributions."

"I have nothing to confess. My life is an open book." Vine busied himself with the kettle.

"That may be, Vine. The only problem is, none of us understand the language it's written in." Elm laughed at her joke, whilst Vine's face remained impassive. She spooned coffee into the mugs. "All the same, I'll be looking out for your confessions. This might even do the Ace Ops some favours. Open up some avenues of communication." She nudged him slightly.

When Vine had steadied himself once more, he gave her a withering look. "If Specialist Schnee wants us to do this, then we must. It doesn't mean I have to like it." He took his coffee with a frown. "I feel no good will come of this."

Elm watched him as he left the room, a small smile curving her mouth.

❖

The following morning there were several more messages.

"Who did that one?" Blake pointed to a line of text on the screen.

  


**_I may be developing feelings for someone I work with_ **

  


"Ooh I wonder who it could be? Maybe Jaune, or Nora, or—"

"Or maybe you, Ruby!" Nora's voice carried across the room, as Ruby blushed.

"Ugh no, I wouldn't write that."

"Well, if you _had_ written it, that's probably what you _would_ say." Yang ruffled her sister's hair on her way to join Blake.

"Ooh, more confessions." Yang scanned the screen. "This is getting interesting now."

Harriett bustled in. "I don't know about you lot, but some of us have work to do." She grabbed a bottle of water and left quickly.

As the remaining hunters looked at the screen, another message appeared.

  


**_Sometimes I prefer sleeping on the floor_ **

  


Nora looked around. "No-one's got their scrolls out, so _that_ one wasn't any of us."

Blake scratched her ear. "This is going to be... intriguing."

"True, but, come on guys, Harriett was right. We're professionals now; let's jump to it." Ruby glanced back at the screen, her brow wrinkled, as she herded the others from the room.

  


By the end of the work day, the screen in the common room was looking even busier.

  


**_I'm frightened of older women_ **

**__**  


**_When I was small I drew a rude thing on my Dad's face and he's always blamed Uncle Qrow for it_ **

**__**  


**_I'm a bit nervous of cats_ **

  


Oscar laughed as he read the messages. "I think we know which one's yours, Ruby."

"It could be any of them." Ruby frowned at him, her arms crossed. "I dare you to name it."

"Uh, no thanks, I value my health too much for that."

Yang strolled in, scanning the screen as she crossed the room. "Well, I think you can tell which of those _isn't_ mine."

"So, one of them _is_ yours, then?" Oscar studied the screen. "Is it the one about Qrow?"

"That would be telling." Yang caught Ruby's eye, and both girls began to giggle at a shared memory. "Although it doesn't take much brainpower to come up with a shortlist for that one." She glanced over her shoulder, and lowered her voice. "It was on his face for hours, we've got the photos to prove it."

Oscar joined in with the laughter. "Your secret is safe with me. Anyway, who's hungry?"

"I am." Ruby and Yang spoke in unison.

The three of them headed out, as another message appeared on the screen.

  


**_I like someone but I'm not sure they feel the same way about me_ **

❖

Qrow woke with a jolt. His mouth was dry, as it always was overnight. His stomach churned uncomfortably as he sat up, rubbing a sweaty face with his hand.

He scrambled out of bed, feeling slightly woozy as he looked in the cupboard of his kitchenette. _Damn, no biscuits._ Topping up the water glass, he took a few mouthfuls, before leaving his room and treading softly along the dimly lit corridor towards the common room. Qrow knew there was a supply of the dry biscuits he craved, and after grabbing a packet he turned to leave. He shot a glance at the screen, glowing softly at the end of the room. His lip curled at the most recent message. _These teenagers and their hormones. Glad that's all behind me now._ Returning to his room, he looked glumly at the closed door, and reached for the scroll he'd forgotten to bring with him. _No problem, I can enter the code manually._

Qrow tapped the four digit number. The small light blinked red. He tapped it in again, more carefully this time.

The light blinked red once more. _Gods dammit, what code did I choose?_ Against all advice, he used the same four digits whenever such a code was needed. _Surely I didn't pick a different one?_

He tried again. This time, the light turned red and remained red, unblinking in an accusatory way.

Qrow sank to the floor, his back against the unyielding door, clutching the pack of biscuits. As he yawned widely, desperate for his bed, a thought came to him. Slowly pushing himself up, he headed for Clover's quarters.

Qrow had been there once before, when he and Clover had to look through some mission logs on the Ace Ops computer system. Luckily, he remembered where the room was.

Standing before the door, he wondered if this was such a good idea. _I don't even know what the time is. What sort of idiot will he think I am?_ Qrow shook off the thought with a shrug. The desire for his bed overcame his concern, both for Clover's uninterrupted sleep and his own dignity. He tapped sharply on the door, then rested his ear against it to hear if it had worked.

After a short silence Qrow heard shuffling footsteps approach the door.

"Who is it?" The voice through the door was bleary with sleep.

"Uh, sorry, Clover. It's me, Qrow."

The door opened and Clover stood inside, rubbing his hands through his hair. He wore a pair of boxers and nothing else, and looked at Qrow in bemusement. Qrow stared back, momentarily bereft of speech.

"Qrow? What—"

"Look, I'm really sorry." Qrow tried looking over Clover's shoulder. The trouble with that was the fact Clover's shoulder was only just above Clover's chest, the sight of which was causing Qrow some problems. "I've locked myself out of my room and used up my three attempts at the access code." Qrow was blushing furiously, for at least two reasons.

"That was a bit silly." Clover was more awake, and managed a smile. Qrow glanced at his face, mystified at how a person could be dragged from their sleep and still look this good.

"I hoped you'd be able to override it, or reset my code, or... something. I wouldn't have troubled you, except I didn't know what else to do." Qrow wished he sounded less pitiful.

"No, you did right, Qrow. Can't have you cluttering up the corridor, can we? You should be tucked up in bed." Clover winked at Qrow, as he added, "Let me just put something on." He turned and walked away, and Qrow leant against the doorframe for support. Clover looked, if anything, even better from behind. _I'm tired, that's what it is. Just tired._

Qrow waited by the door, wondering why his heart was beating quite so fast. Clover returned, pulling on a t-shirt as he came, allowing Qrow a perfect view of sculpted muscles flexing under smooth, tanned skin. He swallowed helplessly as Clover joined him at the doorway.

"Don't shut yourself out," warned Qrow.

Clover waved his scroll. "I'm covered. Now then, take me to your room."

Qrow had trouble focusing after that request. _I mean, I like him and we get on well and he's obviously a treat to look at, but... why am I suddenly reacting in this nonsensical way?_ Clover waited, patiently, while Qrow composed himself.

"Yes. Right. Of course." Qrow set off, holding the packet of biscuits to his chest like a lifeline. If Clover noticed them, he was too polite to comment. Qrow felt as though he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Almost literally.

"Here we are." The red light still glowed malevolently.

Clover checked something on his scroll, then tapped in the code. The light blinked to green, and he opened the door.

"You did it! So what _was_ the code, then?"

Clover silently held out his scroll.

"But that's— oh no, hold on. I remember now." Qrow groaned. "It's my usual number, but reversed. For some reason."

"Ah well, you know it now. Can I leave you to it?"

"Sure, yeah, thanks Clover. You get back to bed."

"Don't worry, I will. And you should too, Qrow." Clover gave him a warm smile, before turning away and retracing his steps.

Qrow watched him go, his teeth catching at his lower lip. With a small shake of his head, he went in and closed the door behind him.

❖

The next morning, there were a number of new confessions on the screen.

  


**_My favourite comedy is slapstick_ **

**__**  


**_I actually prefer salmon_ **

**__**  


**_I'm thinking that some things about Atlas are not so bad after all_ **

  


Elm entered the room just as Blake and Yang were leaving.

"I had to put _something_." Blake was laughing, trying to get away from Yang, who was doing her best to tickle her girlfriend.

"Is it true, though?" Elm smiled at them as she stepped to one side.

Blake tapped the side of her nose. "You'll get no more out of me." She giggled as Yang whispered something in her ear, and they set off along the corridor.

Elm looked at the screen, her arms folded. _Some of these are just... hmm, interesting, actually._ A noise at the doorway interrupted her thoughts, as Clover entered. "More entries on the board?"

"Yep. There's a thread developing here, I feel. Amongst all the random nonsense."

"You think so?" Clover ran water into the kettle. "Coffee, Elm?"

"Yes, please. And yeah, I do. Someone's got the hots for someone, and maybe someone is warming to them."

"That was a very confusing sentence." Clover busied himself with the mugs, his face a little pinker than usual. Elm noticed, but she decided to say nothing.

"So, how are things going with the bird man?"

"Damn it!" Clover grabbed a cloth to wipe up the spilt coffee granules. "Uh, fine..."

Elm smiled widely. "Let me help, you seem to be a little flustered."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine." Clover managed to make the coffee with no further mishaps. "Anyway, we need to get to the briefing room..."

"Right behind you, boss." Elm followed her colleague from the room.

❖

Qrow and Clover spent the morning patrolling the Mantle perimeter wall. They had a couple of minor Grimm incursions to deal with, though barely enough to break into a sweat. At lunchtime, they returned to the pickup point and waited a short time for the transport back to Atlas.

There were a few others also waiting to return, none of whom were known to Qrow. Clover spoke with some of them, exchanging a joke here and there. _No winks, though. No flirty looks._ Qrow was certain now that Clover was interested in him. _I didn't expect this when we arrived, but... it's not unwelcome._ He smiled to himself. It was a good feeling.

They disembarked and made their way back to the barracks. "Fancy getting lunch in the mess hall, Qrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

The tables were busy, but one in the corner was vacated just as they collected their food.

"Looks like you got lucky again." Qrow smiled at Clover as they headed to the empty table.

"We did. A straightforward morning, and somewhere to sit down to eat. I'm on a roll." Clover laughed as they took their seats.

Lunch didn't take long, and as they left Clover turned to Qrow. "I need to check something on the Ops system, can we drop into my room on the way?"

"Sure." Qrow was feeling comfortably full, and in no hurry to rush out on another mission immediately.

Clover ushered Qrow into his quarters, following close behind.

"Have a seat, this shouldn't take long." He switched on his computer and sat down, studying the screen as various documents were displayed.

Qrow sat on the sofa, looking around the neat room. He felt a little strange sitting there, with Clover tapping away at the keyboard. He got up and went to stand by the window, looking out at the sprawl of buildings beyond the accommodation block.

"Right, all done."

Qrow turned to see Clover tucking the chair under the desk. He joined Qrow at the window, a small frown on his face. Qrow was about to say something, when Clover grabbed his hand.

"Qrow, I need to tell you this and I don't know any other way to say it. You must know I really like you, I'm getting the idea you feel the same way and—"

Qrow felt his heart pummelling its way out of his chest. He pulled his hand from Clover's grasp, taking several steps across the room.

"What are you doing? Gods, Clover—"

Clover's mouth dropped open, his face a furious red. "I thought—"

Qrow rubbed at the hand Clover had caught hold of.

"I need to go." Before Clover could say any more, Qrow walked quickly from the room, almost running down the corridor to his own quarters.

Clover was left gaping in his living room. _Damn. You complete idiot, Ebi._

  


Qrow decided to opt out of the afternoon missions. When he was sure the others would all be back on duty, he left his room to make a cup of coffee.

There were a few more messages on the screen.

  


**_Once I didn't wash my hair for a whole week_ **

**__**  


**_I still sleep with a plushy toy_ **

**__**  


**_I'm worried that I may have frightened someone off by something I said_ **

**__**  


Qrow stared at the last message. _That can't be a coincidence. It must be..._

Clover's sudden declaration had unnerved him. Even as he rushed from the room, Qrow knew he'd over-reacted, but was too embarrassed to return. And he didn't want to face Clover, not for quite a while, anyway. _So stupid, a grown man running away like that. I'm so out of practice with all this..._

He made his coffee, one ear cocked in case anyone else approached. He was not disturbed, and he returned to his room, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

❖

When Elm and Clover got back late from their afternoon patrol, they'd missed dinner in the mess hall.

"I can microwave us something if you like?" Elm offered.

"Yeah, go on, then." Clover was exhausted. The patrol had been tiring, but it wasn't just that. _I've blown it, blundering in, after all he's been through... is still going through. Not so lucky this time._

They reached the common room, where Blake and Yang were cuddled on the sofa playing a game on their scrolls. Yang looked up as Clover walked in.

"Seen this?" She jerked her thumb at the Confessions board.

  


**_I'm jealous of tall people_ **

**__**  


"Uh, tall people? Not sure why that's significant?" Clover wasn't in the mood for riddles.

"Not that one, you doofus. _That_ one."

Clover squinted again.

  


**_Sometimes I react without thinking and give people the wrong impression_ **

  


"You know he sent that, right?" Yang's voice had an impatient edge to it. "For Dust's sake, if Blake and I can manage to have a conversation like adults and sort things out between us, can't you two?"

Blake smiled fondly at her girlfriend, as Yang glared at Clover.

"She has a point, boss." Elm nodded as she took the food from the microwave. "These are ready, by the way."

The door was pushed open as Qrow entered. He paused on the threshold, taking in Clover's startled glance, and the smiles of the three women.

"We should go, guys. Your food is here, boss." Elm picked up her bowl and left, Blake and Yang close behind. "Go get him, bird man," whispered Elm as she passed Qrow in the doorway. Qrow's slack-jawed gaze followed her as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

He looked back towards Clover, a warm flush creeping over his face.

The two men stared at each other.

"Yang... suggested we should talk. And I _do_ need to apologise," Clover began.

"No wait, I have to say sorry to you. For running off like a jerk, earlier."

"So, you reacted without thinking, huh?" Clover sat at the table and started to eat his noodles.

Qrow pulled out a chair opposite, sitting heavily with a groan.

"I wanted to speak to you, but we seemed to be doing it via the board, so..."

"I think maybe that damned board has served its purpose. For us, anyway."

Qrow managed a small smile. "I've never been good at... expressing myself. Actually, that's not true. I can bawl someone out anytime you like." He glanced across at the board. "It's the— personal stuff I find hard."

"That's not so strange, Qrow. Look at all those confessions— they're all things people have never said aloud."

"Yeah, I know." Qrow twisted the ring on his finger. "This is a bit more... significant, though. Maybe?" He peered at Clover from beneath his fringe.

Clover took a gulp of water and wiped his mouth. "Could be." He gazed at Qrow, his eyebrows raised. "If you want it to be."

The silence in the room stretched out between them.

"I do." Qrow's eventual, whispered reply settled in the still air.

Clover reached a hand across the table. His fingers brushed Qrow's, as the older man looked intently into Clover's face. Clover smiled slowly.

"This okay?"

Qrow smiled back. "It's fine." He threaded his fingers between Clover's, his thumb rubbing small circles on Clover's skin.

Elm turned away from peering through the glass panel of the door. She gave a silent thumbs up to Blake, Yang, and the others who had arrived since.

Weiss smiled. "I knew my idea would prove beneficial. Communication is a wonderful thing."

Inside the common room, Clover washed his dinner things in the sink. Qrow found a tea towel and dried them up.

"We could... hang out in my room for a bit? Watch some TV?"

Qrow smiled at him. "Sounds perfect."

They left the room, pausing at the sight of the gaggle of hunters clustered in the corridor. Clover raised a finger to his lips.

"Say nothing. That's an order, people."

Qrow smirked as they parted to let the two men through. They turned the corner, the sound of whoops and cheers fading behind them.

Clover's hand found Qrow's, squeezing his fingers lightly, as they headed to his quarters. He wasn't certain where this might lead, but he was keen to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly comments always appreciated, thank you.


End file.
